บท 58: Fire Giant Core?
'An Item? I didn't find much of those. [S] Rank too...' Mark thought as he stared at the gem.
He stared, and an ancient feeling emerged.
Strong.
Fervent.
[The Fire Giant Core is an Elixir.]
'Yeah? What does that mean?'
[Elixirs can be consumed to raise one's strength.]
'Huh. No wonder I feel so hungry looking at it...'
Mark stared deeply at the red gem, as if getting lost in the light it reflected.
Suddenly, something pushed against his leg lightly.
Mark chuckled as he bent his body towards the Moonlit Feline.
'You really saved us there.'
The Moonlit Feline lowered its gaze and walked away, seemingly pouting.
'I really underestimate your strength, don't I?' Mark thought, before walking towards the Lower Demonic Giant's corpse.
Its body was transformed into a dark red sphere of energy.
'Let's start with this one first.'
Mark greedily swallowed it.
Immediately, he felt both his body heat and strength increase.
[Your Passive Skill "Fire Resistance[D]" has evolved into the Passive Skill "Fire Resistance[A]"]
[You have developed the Passive Skill "Fire Hide[C+]".]
[You have developed the Magic Skill "Fire Manipulation[B]".]
[You have developed the Magic Skill "Flame Of Chaos[B+]".]
Mark was glad to see his "Fire Resistance" evolve into a stronger form, but the excitement he felt definitely came from the other Skills.
He raised his hand and opened his palm.
A small flame appeared on it.
'Ha... Hahaha!'
The flame moved according to his will.
Ecstatic, Mark stared at the dancing flame in his palm.
'I can really control fire. I can manipulate it however I want. Let's put some more into the flame...'
Mark increased the flow of Mana going to his hand.
The flame grew.
But the next second,
'Huh. It dissipated the instant I put more Mana into it...? Is my Fire Manipulation too low?'
Mark's gaze went back to something.
Something that seemed like it could solve the issue.
He opened his mouth wide.
But just when Mark was about to crush the Fire Giant Core with his teeth,
[It would be better to hold off on consuming the Fire Giant Core for some time.]
'Yeah? Why is that?' Mark asked telepathically, without moving the Item away from his wide-open mouth.
[Consuming Elixirs of such level can be taxing.]
[Sometimes, deadly.]
'You're saying there are conditions to consuming it? Mm. If it can be taxing, then it's a matter of strength, right? And I'm not strong enough to consume it?'
[It would be wiser to store it for now.]
'Tsk. I don't want to listen, but... You've never been wrong, whoever you are. Plus, it does make me anxious for some reason... First time I've felt this way.'
The red gem disappeared from his hand.
'Mm. Let's wait a bit.' Mark thought before he started walking away from the huge doors that separated him from the Second Floor's Guardian.
"Are we not going in, my Lord?" Levi asked.
'We are. But we do have some empty spots that need to be filled.'
"I see. I shall bring the best I find." The Underling said solemnly.
Meanwhile, the Moonlit Feline walked towards the giant doors.
'What are you...?'
The next second, the white-furred cat started kneading the ground.
Mark sighed as the Moonlit Feline lay down.
'Fiery, stay with her. Make us an army too.' He ordered.
The Underling obliged.
'Now...'
Mark cracked his neck.
'You come with me. I've put off raising your strength for long enough.' Mark ordered before he started running.
Mark and Levi wreaked havoc on the Second Floor for some time.
Each one of them was strong enough to take any sole Monster.
Not only that, but most groups of enemies were not enough to cause an issue.
Still, the two fought together for efficiency's sake.
Mark pierced through a Lower Demon Warrior's chest.
It quickly fell to the ground.
'Finish it.' Mark ordered.
Light sank his fangs into the dying Monster's neck.
[Your Underling has leveled up!]
[Evolution is available for your Underling.]
A wide smile appeared on Mark's face.
'You didn't get many kills on the previous Floors. Finally...'
"My Lord, should I?"
'Yeah. Keep hunting. Bring those worth keeping.'
And Levi did just that.
[Possible Evolutions:
1) Unique Shadow Wolf.
2) Great Shadow Wolf.
3) Demonic Dark Wolf.
4) Fire Wolf.
]
'Mm...'
Mark stared at the different options for a bit.
'The choice is obvious, right?'
The Master gave his answer, and the Underling was shrouded in darkness.
Great anticipation filled Mark, as his oldest Underling was evolving.
'I've thought about letting you go a lot since you lost most of your use. Ever since the Eighth Floor, you've been more of a burden than anything else. Don't disappoint me-'
The veil that covered Light started expanding.
'He's getting bigger? Not the stealthy type anymore? I'm not sure that's what we need-'
A long and powerful howl suddenly echoed through the Second Floor.
Mark couldn't help but smile, as he felt the vibrations produced by the Underling's howl go through his body.
The veil faded.
Mark's eyes widened.
A howl echoed from behind him.
His heartbeat accelerated.
Before Mark could even realize it, Light had positioned himself behind his Master.
'What the hell... Was that?'
A wolf as big as a tiger howled.
'Did your pelt get darker? No. It's... Different...?'
The Demonic Dark Wolf's pelt seemed like it was made of darkness itself.
Infinitely deep and dense.
Even with Mark's sight, it was difficult to differentiate between the different hairs that made up that pelt.
Red pupils stared at the Master.
The Underling walked around.
'What...'
Mark shook his head.
He studied his Underling's movements.
Each time Light took a step, Mark was taken aback.
'It's like my vision is delayed... What is this? Show me his Skills.'
[List of your Underling's Skills:
Active Skills:
Dark Fog[C]
Shadow Transfer[D]
Passive Skills:
Assassin's Aura[C+]
Blind Spot Killer[B]
Light Steps[C]
Acute Demonic Senses[C+]
Fire Resistance[C]
Heat Resistance[B]
]
'Active since they use Endurance Points instead of Mana, huh? I expected him to develop a Mana Stat, but fine. Information? Except for Shadow Transfer and the Resistance Skills.'
[ Dark Fog: [C] Ranked Skill.
Upon activation, the User's body temporarily turns into an undetectable fog that allows swift and stealthy movements. Cost: 50 Endurance Points per second.]
'Huh. I'll need you to show me this one.'
[ Assassin's Aura: [C+] Ranked Skill.
When in motion, the User's body is shrouded by a Dark Aura, making the User's movements more difficult to follow.]
'Oh. So, that's what it is. Yeah. The Aura is as dark as your pelt, making the edges of your body hard to see...'
[Blind Spot Killer: [B] Ranked Skill.
Attacking from an enemy's Blind Spot will deal 300% more damage.]
'Brutal...'
[Light Steps: [C] Ranked Skill.
The User's steps are lightened, making them swifter and quieter.]
[Acute Demonic Sense: [C+] Ranked Skill.
The User can, with ease, detect living beings, sounds, heat, and Mana in his surroundings. A Skill that belongs to Demonic and Infernal Beings.]
'Ha... Looks like you're getting some of your usefulness back.'
At the comment, Light howled loudly, showcasing his sharp fangs.
'It's strange though. I didn't feed you any Monsters. Since I wanted you to evolve this way, naturally. Where did the Demonic aspect come from then? Does this mean that the Shadow Wolves and the Demonic Dark Wolves are related somehow? Show me his Statu-'
Growl-
Mark turned in the direction his Underling was facing.
The next second, a bubble appeared on the lava's surface.
'Three Lower Demons? Not bad for a test.' Mark thought as he spread his wings.
The Monsters approached rapidly.
Effortlessly, Mark cut a wing off each one of them.
Once the Lower Demons hit the ground, they stared at the enemy hovering above.
From their blind spot, a dark fog approached them
'Finish them.' Mark ordered.
Once it was behind one of the Monsters, the dark fog suddenly turned into a ferocious Beast.
The Demonic Dark Wolf sank its fangs into a Lower Demon and took away a huge chunk out of its neck.
Blue blood spurted as the Monster fell to the ground.
'Dark Fog. Interesting. Combined with Blind Spot Killer...' Mark commented internally.
The two Lower Demons turned around and found a growling Beast.
They immediately ran towards it.
Their sharp claws approached the Underling.
Light swiftly dodged their attack and passed between the two.
The Lower Demons turned around once more.
Shock-
Surprised, they couldn't do a thing but growl.
The enemy had disappeared.
'This Skill. Just like before...'
From a Lower Demon's shadow, the Beast emerged.
'Yeah. I really like it.'
It didn't take long for Light to deal with them.
[Your Underling "Light" has leveled up!]
'Mm... Yeah. That was perfect.' Mark complimented, as he landed in front of his Underling.
Light walked towards his Master.
Once the distance separating the two was a couple of centimeters, he stopped.
'Huh...?
The Underling stared.
Mark gently placed his palm on the Demonic Dark Wolf's head.
A second later, Light walked away before taking a seat on the ground.
'I don't get it.'
...
Some time later, Mark's back was turned towards the closed Boss Room.
'Alright.'
The Moonlit Feline, sensing that battle was approaching, had shiny eyes.
Swiftly climbing over Mark's body, the Underling sat on his right shoulder.
'This is the final line-up.'
Thanks to Mark's "Purgatory's Undead Troup[A+]", eleven Underlings stood in front of him.
First, Levi, Light, and Fiery.
Next to them, were two Unique Velvet Werewolves.
Their pelt was bloody red.
As if their veins were on fire, thin burning lines ran through their body.
Using his S-ranked "Devouring Architecture" Magic Skill, Mark had focused on strengthening their claws and muscles.
To their side, stood two Elite Inferior Lava Drakes.
Their scales were strengthened by the environment on the Second Floor, making them harder than rocks.
Despite their size, their agility was nothing to scoff at.
Which is why, on top of both Elite Inferior Lava Drake, a Unique Lower Demon Warrior was seated.
The Unique Lower Demon Warriors were obtained by fusing together different Lower Demon Warriors.
Each of the two had its specialty.
One had developed stronger Magic Skills while the other had stronger and beefier muscles.
Using his Bone Manipulation, Mark armed each of the two with a spear, made with the bones of some of the strongest Monsters found.
The two Underlings left made a strange pair.
On one side, an Inferior Fire Wyrm.
Its size wasn't much smaller than Levi's in his Leviathan Form.
A fierce Monster with strong Magic Skills.
Its Strength and Vigor Stats seemed to be extremely high.
On the other, a Monster, so small, it was hard to notice next to the Inferior Fire Wyrm.
A Chaotic Salamander.
Its ranged attacks were top-tier, making it an incredible foe that could shoot down enemies before they could even notice it.
'A true army.'
Those were the Underlings that would fight alongside Mark.
In addition to the Moonlit Feline.
But that wasn't all.
Mark had more fighters on his side.
He turned towards the Boss Room.
Mark took heavy steps towards it.
With little effort, he pushed the huge doors open.
'Alright. Send them in.'
Fiery's antennas twitched, and hundreds of Insect Monsters entered the room.
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